


The Map

by TheNerdRevolution



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Deathshipping, Drabble, M/M, fic competition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-18 20:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5942461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNerdRevolution/pseuds/TheNerdRevolution
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a snowstorm, and Mariku is hammering something into a wall.</p><p>Fic originally written for the creampuffsandcardgames/maariku deathshipping Drabble competition on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Map

**Author's Note:**

> So, as said in the summary, this was in an Drabble competition and came second. The necessary parts were:  
> Setting: Winter  
> Situation: Fight  
> Additional challenge: Use of a map in the plot.
> 
> And this is the outcome.

Not that Ryou normally trusted the weather forecast that much, but he had rather hoped that the forecast of ‘light snow shower’ would have been right this one time when he had left the house with nothing more than a warm coat as protection from the elements. No such luck. He was just starting his return walk when the wind picked up and he had to bury his face in his collar as much as he could to avoid the frozen droplets blasting at every square inch of exposed skin.

Twenty minutes later he was standing in the scalding water of the shower, in at least some attempt to warm himself up after the weather had done quite the opposite, in the apartment that he had begun renting with Marik during Battle City- or his Yami had, to be accurate- and seemed to have never stopped. Although the place was small, he thought, it had a certain…charm to it, and being in the middle of the city like this meant that upon the occasion that either of their darker personalities felt the need to go and challenge someone (or something in certain cases) to an impromptu Shadow Game, the one left in the apartment probably wouldn't need to go too far to find them. Ryou was just reminiscing about the time that he had found Mariku trying to challenge a mannequin to a game of Duel Monsters when he suddenly heard a tapping on the other side of the wall.

It grew louder and more regular as it continued, until it was a persistent bang, bang, bang against the wall, at which point Ryou grabbed the knob and sharply twisted it right, stopping the water. When he had squeezed as much of it out of his hair as he could, which was a considerable amount, he stepped out and wrapped a towel around himself from the waist down, too confused by the noise to care the greatest deal about his modesty. Striding out into the main room, he was about to ask what all the noise was about when his eyes fell upon Mariku with a hammer in one hand poised to strike a nail sticking half way out of the wall, and two more nails being held between his lips. His brightly coloured eyes were fixed directly on Ryou, or, more specifically, Ryou’s naked torso, which he crossed his arms over as he suddenly felt a little self-conscious. Probably due to the fact that the Egyptian appeared to have an inability to look anywhere else.

“What the hell are you doing?” Ryou asked indignantly when he felt that the time had probably come to break the awkward silence between them, and Mariku removed the nails from his mouth so that he was able to talk.

“Creampuff-“

“Don't call me creampuff, I'm trying to be mad at you.”

“Anyway, creampuff, what I was going to say before you so rudely interrupted me-”

“Yeah, well, you interrupted my shower.”

“-is that it's snowing outside,” Mariku continued, seeming to have ignored Ryou’s comment.

“Yes, thank you,” Ryou retorted sarcastically. “Oddly enough, though, I had noticed.”

“Not finished. Anyway, I thought I'd put that-“ he pointed to a frame leaning against the wall by the door, “-up on the wall.”

“But that doesn't mean I understand why you're hammering nails into the wall!”

“Well, I don't know if you realised that that's how putting up pictures works…”

“Not what I meant! You're destroying my apartment!”

“Our apartment.”

“Fine, the apartment that we both live in which I pay for when everyone else forgets to give me their share and which has my name on the lease…but yes, our apartment.”

“Okay, two things. One, I have absolutely no idea what a lease is, and no, I don’t want you to explain it to me, and two, I really can't take a single thing you're saying seriously until you're not standing in front of me half-naked.” It took a moment for Ryou’s brain to click back into gear after the comment, but when it did, his mind was a rather flustering mixture of rage, frustration at the situation and desire to stop being annoyed at Mariku and to kiss him instead.

“Don't ch- I mean- you shouldn't be- wait- I don't know what I'm even trying to say anymore,” he admitted after several more noises coming from his throat that could have been words, but failed before they were spoken.

“Would it be better if I go put the map away and you go and get dressed?”

“Well…wait, did you say a map?”

“Yeah. That's what's in the frame. Someone was selling maps on a street corner, and then I found the frame in a dumpster.” His tone was nonchalant.

“You dug through dumpsters to find a frame for a probably stolen map you bought off a hobo?!”

“I don't think he was a hobo- he was wearing shoes. Also, it was very reasonably priced.”

“Not the point!”

“Well, since it is horrible weather out there, I am going to use this map to make a list of all countries in the world where it isn't winter right now. And then I'm going to go there.”

“That makes no sense!” Ryou exclaimed, eyes wide.

“Sure it does.”

“No, it doesn't.”

“Does.”

“Doesn't.”

“Does!”

“Doesn't!”

This continued for several minutes until Ryou had to readjust his towel, which brought Mariku’s attention back to the albino’s attire- or, more specifically, the lack of it.

“Yes, it does, and maybe you can come on this adventure with me if you put some clothes on.”

“Mariku, do not change the subject!”

“Hey, what about if we go to a different country and then leave our other halves stranded there?”

“Well…maybe that sounds a little fun.”

“Get some clothes, on, creampuff, we've got a vacation to plan!” Mariku announced, making Ryou laugh.

They never went away from the snow, but watching Mariku argue with the people at the airline company on the phone was definitely the highlight of Ryou’s week.


End file.
